10 Paying Markets for Flash Fiction

Updated 6/7/25

In this age of short attention spans, flash fiction is becoming increasingly popular. Literary magazines which previously only considered short stories of at least 3,000 words are now calling for fiction short enough to be considered "flash fiction." In some cases journals - even some that are not normally considered literary markets - are calling for "micro fiction" which can be brief enough to tweet.

Flash fiction, aka "short-shorts" (not referring to clothing), are self-contained pieces of fiction that are shorter than what literary magazines define as a short story. If that is not sufficiently vague for you, word counts for flash fiction are even vaguer. Some magazines define flash fiction as fewer than 2,000 words, others fewer than 1,000. Or 1,800. Or 700. In short (pun intended), flash fiction is any length that the editors say it is.

Flash fiction pays less than short stories, and often doesn't pay at all. That being said, you can get paid something, if not much, to submit short pieces. As always, make sure to follow submission requirements. (Click on the titles of the magazines for guidelines.)

For more paying markets see: Paying Markets

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Manawaker Studios Flash Fiction Podcast

"The ideal length is around 800 words, but stories as short as 250 or as long as 1500 may be considered. All genres will be considered, but the story must remain accessible to all ages, which mostly means no erotica or gore-horror. The editor has a particular love for sci-fi stories, so those may get slightly stronger consideration. We also prefer stories that have a plot. Vignettes are great, and necessarily make up a large part of what we accept at this length requirement, but having a proper beginning, middle, and end will score extra points."

Payment: One cent per word (half for reprints) with a minimum payment of three dollars (USD) and a max of ten dollars.

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The Cafe Irreal

The Cafe Irreal is a quarterly webzine that presents a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English. This fiction, which we would describe as irreal, resembles the work of writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe, Clarice Lispector and Jorge Luis Borges. As a type of fiction it rejects the tendency to portray people and places realistically and the need for a full resolution to the story; instead, it shows us a reality constantly being undermined. Therefore, we're interested in stories by writers who write about what they don't know, take us places we couldn't possibly go, and don't try to make us care about the characters.

Submissions: They accept unsolicited fiction up to 2,000 words in length. Translations are welcome. There is no minimum length. No simultaneous submissions.

Payment: 1 cent/word.
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Every Day Fiction

Every Day Fiction is looking for very short (flash) fiction, of up to 1000 words. There’s no such thing as too short — if you can do the job in 50 words, have at it! All fiction genres are acceptable, and stories that don’t fit neatly into any genre are welcome too. While personal experiences and other non-fiction can be great sources of inspiration, please turn them into fiction.

Submissions: All stories must be submitted through Submittable. They do not accept simultaneous submissions.

Payment: Token payment of $3CAD.

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Flash Fiction Online

Flash Fiction Online strives to publish fiction that presents the full variety of humanity in its pages. As such, they encourage submissions from writers of every stripe. They particularly like to see stories from writers whose backgrounds not well-represented in the field of short fiction, whether it be due to race/ethnicity, religion, ability, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else. 

Submissions: Flash fiction online uses Submittable. Stories should be from 500 to 1,000 words in length.

Payment: Sixty dollars ($60) per story. For reprints, they pay $.02 (two cents) per word for nonexclusive rights.
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Funny Times

"Our print publication pokes fun at politics, news, relationships, food, technology, pets, work, death, environmental issues, business, religion (yes, even religion) and the human condition in general. Not much is off limits, so do your best to make us laugh.

Submissions: Stories should be 500-700 words. Snail mail submissions only.

Payment: $30-$50 per cartoon based on reproduction size and $60 each for story.

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Opossum Lit 

"Send us your stories, poems, and essays, your work pulsing with beats, haunted by melodies. You can submit multiple works in a single or in multiple genres, but please use your best judgment about sending us the best work you have that is appropriate to our music-driven mission."

PLEASE NOTE: They are looking for written work to evaluate on the page. They are not seeking recordings, songs, or readings with musical accompaniment. Work will be considered for publication as an audio recording after they have accepted it for print.

They ask you to include a brief artist’s statement illuminating your work’s relationship to specific musical forms and artifacts. You are welcome to include an author bio as part of your artist’s statement.

Submissions: Uses submittable. Submissions should be under 1,800 words in length. Please specify whether your submission is fiction or non-fiction along with an artist's statement explaining how your work engages the world of music.

Payment: Their pay scale for flash varies based on length. $75-150 is the typical range.
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Chestnut Review

"The chestnut blight that wiped out 4 billion (billion!) trees in North America in the early years of the last century didn’t kill the stumps. So when those trees were cut down, in many places the stumps still send up young shoots over and over, and when they get old enough, the blight hits them and they die. And yet they send up another. And another. Sustaining a creative practice requires that level of tenacity. Artists persist despite rejection, the intrusions of real life, the bills that must be paid, the jobs that must be done before any art can be created–that’s the best kind of stubbornness. A stubborn belief in your own worth, in the art of your hands, eyes, and mind. We are here for you, our stubborn creators. Welcome."

Submissions: Submit one piece of up to 1000 words, single-spaced throughout.

Payment: $120.

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Pseudopod

Pseudopod is a genre magazine in audio form. "We’re looking for horror: dark, weird fiction. We run the spectrum from grim realism or crime drama, to magic-realism, to blatantly supernatural dark fantasy. We publish highly literary stories reminiscent of Poe or Lovecraft as well as vulgar shock-value pulp fiction. We don’t split hairs about genre definitions, and we do not observe any taboos about what kind of content can appear in our stories. Originality demands that you’re better off avoiding vampires, zombies, and other recognizable horror tropes unless you have put a very unique spin on them. What matters most is that the stories are dark and compelling."

Submissions: Uses Submittable.  Flash fiction stories should be under 1500 words.

Payment: $.08/word for original fiction, and $20 flat rate for flash fiction reprints
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The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is looking for, as you might guess, "compressed creative arts." They accept fiction and creative nonfiction, as long if they are compressed in some way. The reading period is March 15 to June 15 & September 15 to December 15.

Submissions: Stories should be under 600 words.

Payment: $50
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Intrepidus Ink

"We explore intrepid culture: our stories feature four elements in every story: danger, struggle, emotion, and OVERCOMING. Our stories are intrepid first and not subordinated to other themes. Stories reflect action, fearlessness, and triumph that inspire readers. We welcome many genres and writing styles, including literary, speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy, literary sf), action and adventure, romance, magical realism, historical fiction, and others. However, we’re not a horror or dark fiction market. Why not? Well, our brand is fearlessness. We also love odd, quirky stories and humor."

Submissions: Flash fiction should be between 300 and 1000 words.

Payment: $.02/word for flash fiction 300 – 1,000 words. $30 flat rate for short stories 1,500 – 2,500 words.